[T. P. Pole]

For something like this be effective, it needs to be done in a few prime corridors to prove it can be successful. For instance a highspeed line connecting Vegas and LA. Once people see it can work, people will use it. Building a nationwide system that is unproven in American terms would truly be a boondoogle.

I've always liked the idea of something like this LA to Vegas idea. This would work because between LA and Vegas are only maybe 3 stops (somewhere near San Bernardino, Victorville, and Barstow). But one thing I haven't seen mentioned is setting it up so you could load your car onto the train cheaper than you can drive. Without stopping much you could do the trip in about 2 hours and have your own car on either end. I think then it would work. It might even be faster than flying, when you count the checkin and checkout.

I think that this is where the article goes wrong. He mentions intermodal, but doesn't make it clear about what he is intermodal with. I think he is thinking airports and buses. Why not cars/interstates also?

[GoreIsLove]

The idea of loading your car is a good one that I've never though of before. The Vegas/LA run is good because of the relative cheapness of building the line in the middle of the desert, and the amount of people who would frequent the line.